[little blue]

Tuesday night, I put 11 little chicks to bed (they haven't learnt to go in themselves yet)

Wednesday night I put 10 little chicks in (though I may have mis-counted as so many of the little b*gg*rs sneak back out!)

This morning (Thursday) I have only 8 little chicks!

I'm thinking Mr fox would have made more mess, rats most likely culprit - though all four of the cats were out all night & are doing a fine job of rodent murdering.
  The only sign of my lovely little Light sussex chicks are two white feathers and a tiny spot of blood under the ark.   

So today we will move them into a hopefully more secure coop and kick the cats out again.....
this means war!   

[Rosemary]

Shame  It's so disheartening. Hope you eliminate the culprits.

[Fleecewife]

Do you have fine mesh covering the floor of the ark if it is an open-bottomed type?  We have had rats coming up under the floor and pulling ducklings through the mesh if it's not small enough.  Could also just possibly be a weasel which can get through the tiniest holes.  So sad.  I hope you solve the problem  

[Callia]

I would think rats too    and he will more then likely keep coming back till he has them all now !! I would bring them indoors or pop them into a secure cage/hutch at night and put some traps and poison inside the house as a treat for the rat 

[little blue]

*Update*

It IS a ****** rat - I've chased it but missed!!  The *** had three copses under the slab under the ark ... I will put poisen in them tonight (and every night until I get it!!)

The remaining chicks are now in their new home (built especially for them - when they were abit bigger)  and loving it.
The house is raised up so there is no way a rat can nest under it, and (hopefully) no access into the run ....

[robert waddell]

dont underestimate the rats they are as clever as humans

[jaykay]

and climb well  I'd bring them inside until you've caught/shot it!

[little blue]

trouble is ... you get one, theres always more to take its place!

And worse - if my cats dont have any to chase, they go down to the mill & bring some home to play with!! 

[john2708]

i had rats kill all my ducklings last year i had a ferret escaped from 1 village down kill all my birds but my geese most of the time i sit out and shoot the rats with the air rifle seems to scare them of for a few weeks but even then those horrible little creatures eat there dead, problem i found with poison is i would find dead rats half eat. my cat ate a rat that i had poison not a nice vets bill.

[Anke]

Don't put down poison, your cats are most likely to catch a half dead rat - and then go and die themselves. Trapping, using a terrier or just making sure your houses are safe from vermin is most likely more successful.

[little blue]

Thats why we rarely poison.
We now have a humane rat trap (with a long string attached so we can drown the b**gers!) which will go out tonight ... I'm gonna get it, if the cats dont first!!

[northfifeduckling]

I found most rats too clever for the humane trap - waste of time...

[bamford6]

i had this happen to me i spent weeks with traps guns etc i finaley got 11 ..i naw slab underneath the pens

[princesspiggy]

sounds like an excuse to get a good terrier pup